Portable Integrated Fourier Ptychographic Microscope

About this technology

Overview

Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) seeks to address the tradeoff between resolution and field-of-view (FoV) experienced by conventional imaging methods. The technique combines multiple low-resolution images captured under varying illumination angles to reconstruct a single, high-resolution, wide FoV image. Key challenges in FPM devices include lack of portability (preventing use in the field) and long image reconstruction times (preventing real-time feedback, decreasing throughput and efficiency, and leading to poor user experience that presents a barrier to adoption). Originally designed for biosignature detection and motility in liquid samples, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a compact, portable inferencing device comprised of a FPM integrated with a microfluidic device to perform wide FoV, sub-micron spatial resolution imaging of several different sample types. NASA has significantly improved FPM device technology by creating a small portable device that leverages algorithms to perform self-calibration of LED positions and trained, sample type-specific neural networks for recording and image reconstruction. These algorithmic optimizations allow for near real-time image reconstruction.